


One Shift At A Time

by lucdarling



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medical, Bottom Louis, Crushes, Doctor Liam, Drinking, Flirting, M/M, Nurse Louis, Paediatrics, Riding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-16
Updated: 2015-07-16
Packaged: 2018-04-02 02:21:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4042048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucdarling/pseuds/lucdarling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam's first few months on the job in the paediatric ward as a junior doctor would be easier if the head nurse didn't hate him. They would probably be even better if he could do anything about the hopeless crush on said nurse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Shift At A Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fucksinglelouis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fucksinglelouis/gifts).



> I really hope you enjoy this! I had a lot of fun with the spirit of your prompt.
> 
> Massive thanks to my betas for catching my random capitalizations, making sure the medical things were mostly accurate and hand holding. If anything doesn't make sense, or verb tenses don't agree, it's because I kept tweaking things up until posting. Further, thank you to the mods for running such a fun exchange!
> 
> I don't clarify some abbreviations in the text because Liam would already know them: SHO is the Senior House Officer, or a second-year doctor. A&E is Accident & Emergency, or the ER in America. ICU is the Intensive Care Unit, where very sick people are taken care of. The four weeks surrounding the graduation of junior doctors, two weeks before and two after, really is known as the killing season.

_First Shift, ever_  
Newly minted Doctor Liam Payne walks into the hospital through the employee entrance, grinning to himself when he swipes his staff id card and the box by the door lights up green. It’s still new enough to make him a little giddy.

He steps in, goes down the hallway and turns left to enter the men’s locker room. There’s still orientation and assignments to get, but being so early allows Liam the chance to get first dibs on the Nespresso pods. He’s really looking forward to trying some of the ones he hadn’t recognized.

The door nearly slams behind him and Liam startles, not expecting it.

“Get the fuck out, Horan. Go home.” A rasping voice comes from the other room where the lights are off, the door cracked open.

That door should lead to the showers and changing stalls, Liam knows, so he walks over to poke his head in. The room is dim and there’s a lump on one of the bunks.

Oh, he’s accidentally stepped into the nurses’ lounge instead.

“Uh, sorry mate. Didn’t mean to wake you. I think I’m lost.” The lump sits up and Liam can feel the glare. He puts on his saddest expression, the one that almost always works on his older sisters but it must not be any use because the stranger is still clearly grumpy.

“Not a nurse then? Junior doc? Of course you are.” The man states flatly as the blanket falls and oh, Liam half wishes the light was casting onto the hint of abs instead of on the bed itself. “Doctors’ lounge is down the next hall, now run along.” He waves a hand even as his other pulls the blanket up over his head.

Liam stifles a laugh, apologizes quietly and leaves.

He walks into the proper room and is still three minutes before the appointed time that orientation starts. It’s not early enough though, because there’s already a queue to use the coffee machine.

“Surprised you weren’t already here, toe tapping to get started,” Zayn says with a sleepy grin when he slides into the space on Liam’s left.

Liam can feel his cheeks heat up. “Was just taking a look around, that’s all.” Zayn stares at him a moment longer before he returns to his half-asleep state as everyone else in the room rushes to find a place to sit before the SHO standing in the front starts talking.

The orientation amounts to: don’t fuck up, get your orders checked by senior staff before implementing and welcome. Their rotations are to be six months in their assigned ward, and Liam was in paediatrics first. He tried to send a smile to Zayn, who’d been placed in the A&E, but it probably came off as more a grimace. Everybody wants the A&E placement for its fast pace and constant flow of patients.

Paediatrics should be fun, on the other hand. Kids are great.

Working under the supervision of Dr. Wright seems promising, though her eagle eyes clearly don’t miss anything. She quickly tells off the two junior docs in the back of their assignment group for not keeping up as she leads them around the department for introductions and the first of patient check-ins - and the two had only a few steps behind. The woman was obviously brilliant but maybe less used to first year doctors and their range of questions. She didn’t have a lot of patience for Charlie’s tangential questions, but after multiple lectures with him, Liam certainly didn’t either. The eye rolls from his fellow doctors when he inquired about psittacosis as the possible cause of the child's pneumonia told Liam they all felt similarly. Charlie was a nice enough lad, but he was always looking for a zebra among the hoofbeats of horses, as the saying from their diagnostic seminar went.

Dr. Wright let them interact with the patients in pairs, watching closely despite standing off to the side and it was Liam’s luck his partner hadn’t been fast enough with the kidney-shaped bowl when the boy spews everywhere. Charlie had stood there, gaping as the others gasped and chuckled. Dr. Wright sighs and makes a shooing motion at them all, herding them out of the room.

The boy in the bed, probably no more than seven, turns even paler staring at Liam’s ruined top.

“‘m real sorry,” he whispers before Liam can get out the door to change. Liam manages a smile in his direction.

“There’s new scrubs all over the hospital,” Liam reassures him. “In fact, I bet there’s a whole closet just full of them!” The boy’s eyes grow wide. “Do you want a new top too?” He nods hesitantly and Liam’s smile is a full-fledged grin at this point.

“I’ll be right back, buddy. Don’t worry.”

Liam hurries out of the room, grimacing and trying his best to hold the scrub top away from his skin. It’s mostly a lost cause and he tries his best to make a beeline for the doctor’s lounge. Only a few of the nurses laugh at him as he passed the station.

“First day casualty, bet you’ll remember that one!” the bottle blond called out and Liam frowns in his direction but doesn’t stop to chat. It only makes the nurse laugh louder.

Liam ducks under a shower as soon as his feet hit tiled floor, not caring that it was soaking the striped top that lay in a heap at his feet. It might even be the better for it.

He turns the water off as soon as his chest felt clean, throwing the dirtied fabric in the overly large bin marked for soiled linens. They’re probably only to be used for scrubs but Liam can hopefully play the new doctor card if it’s even traced back to him. Liam pulls down a top for himself and spends half a minute searching for the smallest size possible for the kid. He gets on his trousers and goes back out to find what had become of his assignment group. It’s an hour into the first shift and he already has a lot to tell his mum when she calls tonight to see how the job went.

* * *

_Third Shift_  
It’s a half-hour into his twelve-hour shift on the third day that Liam finally meets the head nurse of the paediatric ward. It’s roughly two minutes later that all the junior doctors realize that Louis Tomlinson might be shorter in stature than all of them but definitely holds power when he tells Dr. Wright to her face that “this group of trained monkeys aren’t worth the white coats they’ve put on.” Liam’s heart sinks - it probably shows on his face - when she pauses, looks them in the eye one by one and then says she’s still deciding about their worth.

That’s when Louis lets all of them know, loudly, that he is well aware that the first few weeks of duty for junior doctors across the nation is known as the killing season and he doesn’t want to see the Grim Reaper on his floor at all. Woe betide them all if he visits, he says dramatically, hand gesturing at chest level. Dr. Wright laughs as he continues a short spiel on patient safety he’s obviously given a few times before, even though he can’t be more than a few years older than Liam.

“Any questions?” Louis ends, and his eyes are very blue in the fluorescent lights. It seems none of them have any, because he gives a satisfied nod to himself and scoots around to the other side of the nurse’s station counter. He grabs a file at random and sits down.

“They’re all yours, have fun,” Dr. Wright grins and Liam didn’t even know her face could that. Louis rolls his eyes in an exaggerated fashion as she leaves the group.

Louis leans back in the chair and looks at them. The junior doctors stare back at him, silent.

“I’m fairly certain Barbara has given you all partners and you have a number of patients to check in on.” Louis reminds them dryly. “Hop to it.”

They all scatter quickly but Liam heads to the counter itself and stands up straight. “Hi,” he says, and then wants to smack himself.

“Need something?” Louis doesn’t look up from where he’s marking something in the file he’s overlooking.

“Uh, just wanted to apologize,” Liam smiles and that gets Louis’ attention.

“Have you killed someone already? My, that was quicker than even I expected.” Liam’s face falls again, he can feel it.

“No,” Liam coughs and trains his eyes on the bridge of Louis’ nose because he’s still not looking up. “I think I maybe accidentally woke you the other day? See, I got lost and-”

Louis cuts him off with a wave of his hand. “Happens, and now you know your way around the lounge. Congratulations. Now get to your patients,” he finally looks up and stares directly at Liam’s chest.

Liam blinks.

“Payne,” Louis muses and then Liam remembers he clipped his staff id to his lab coat pocket. Louis had just been reading his name, not doing anything else. Definitely not checking him out. “Try not to cause too much to the kids, we all hate unnecessary screaming.”

Liam walks away when Louis looks back down at the folders in front of him. It’s obvious they’re not going to be friends and that hurts a little, but Liam will get over it.

The nurse on shift who’s been assigned to oversee Liam and Charlie is the blond who laughed on Liam’s first day, Irish brogue and easy charm. Niall’s got the five year old girl and Charlie laughing at a silly impression of whatever children’s cartoon is on the tv, even as he deftly slips in a new IV. Liam is impressed.

“You’re really good,” Liam compliments as they leave the room and it probably comes on as over earnest but Niall just beams.

“I’m pretty good yeah, but you just wait until Tommo’s in action. He’s the master at getting a kid to stop crying.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Liam comments. The nurse had been too tightly focused, if a little bored.

“You’ve never gone out drinking with him,” Niall laughs. “He’s usually a little wound up during the first few weeks that you new doctors are on board.”

“How long has he been working here?” Liam is absolutely not fishing for more information on the very attractive nurse as they walk into the room of the next patient on their rounds.

“Officially or unofficially? He practically grew up here, his mum worked in L&D.” Niall stops at the foot of the bed and gently shakes the foot of the kid to wake him up. Liam checks his chart and sees the teenager is here for observation of a possible concussion and a broken wrist after a roofing accident. The wrist is already set and wrapped up in a neon green cast, Liam notes as Charlie questions him in a monotone right off the page in his notebook.

He doesn’t get an answer out of Niall about Louis, because after that room he’s called away to prep two more rooms and Liam’s caseload is stacking up.

* * *

_Night After Shift Ten, or Eleven_  
It already seems routine, even though they’ve only had two weeks of actual training, that the junior doctors congregate at the bar across the street. Plan B can probably best be described as a dive bar, if dive bars had karaoke night and a potential set list that included the entirety of Fleetwood Mac’s catalogue. Liam’s been twice so far, but when he walks in with Charlie a few steps ahead of him and the bespectacled man is greeted by name at the bar, it’s obvious some of his other colleagues don’t see the value in a good night’s sleep.

Liam orders a pint and slides into the seat on the end. It’s a mix of the peds group and those posted in the ED, he realizes only when Zayn sits down next to him, practically in his lap. It’s clear he’s already had a few, body loose and eyes heavy.

“How’s it been, Z?” Liam greets.

“Could be better,” Zayn frowns at his half-full beer. “Couldn’t do a thing without the mum screeching at me like a banshee. After she told me she wanted an English doctor.”

Liam pats him on the back and it’s enough invitation for the other man to flop over onto his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” Liam murmurs and hopes it’s enough. He knows it won’t be, but there’s not much more he can do when Zayn’s already in the drink.

“Tomorrow will be better, at least.” Zayn twists his head to look at Liam blearily. Liam grins. “It’s our day off!”

Zayn grins back, bright teeth and knocks back the rest of his drink. He stands, a little unsteadily, and almost careens right into a bartender delivering a tray of shots. The man wobbles back, a bit like a deer if they had wide mouths and hair caught in a bun; Liam can almost see the cartoon heart eyes form in Zayn’s eyes. Liam takes another long swallow from his glass so he doesn’t say anything about his friend's track record with people in bars.

There’s a loud laugh from the other side of the bar and Liam looks over. Of course it’s Niall, head thrown back and full glass perfectly balanced in his hand. It’s more a surprise that his companion is none other than Louis.

Liam watches this interaction, trying to figure them out. It seems clear that they've known each other for a while, heads tilted close and affectionately pushing each other to get the next round. Liam doesn’t consider how it would feel to have Louis’ hands brush across his shoulder or ruffle his hair.

That’s when he heaves himself up, makes a cursory look around for Zayn - nowhere in sight, not that Liam expected less - and accidentally makes eye contact with Louis. The nurse’s smile falls off his face and Liam turns away, chest feeling strangely hollow. It’s warm for fall outside, once Liam gets through the pack bar and outside proper, but he goes to bed feeling cold.

* * *

Liam visits home after the first month of training. The two days without having to be present in the hospital are too long and too short in turn.

“So, how’s Louis?” His mum questions with a glint in her eye over tea at the kitchen table Liam’s sat at since he was a boy.

“He still hates me,” Liam tells his teacup glumly. “This week, he said I should spend less time in the gym and more time at the books even though I was the first to answer Dr. Wright’s questions about the use of mechanical ventilation.”

His mum hummed thoughtfully and took a biscuit off the plate between them. Liam complained more, knowing full well he’s whining to a captive audience. He manages a less than graceful segue into some funny stories about Niall and his impressions

“You sure he isn’t pulling your pigtails, Li?” She asks him just before he leaves to catch a train back.

“I’m certain,” Liam says dryly but it gets him thinking. It is true that Louis only seems to attack Liam, or at least attacks him the most. The junior doctors haven’t done much to endear themselves to the head nurse. Louis questions nearly every word out of Liam’s mouth and has now resorted to physical touches when Liam isn’t moving fast enough for him.

Each touch is a brand on his skin, lingering long after Liam’s shift has ended and he’s wrapped up in his blankets with Loki asleep on his feet.

* * *

_Second Night of Night Shift_  
“You want a coffee?” Liam offers, jamming his hand into his pocket so he doesn’t do something stupid like gently run his finger over the purple bags underneath Louis’ eyes. This crush is ridiculous and Liam has honestly tried his best to get over it but the blind date Niall set him up on last week had gone nowhere.

Louis gives a slow blink at the words and frowns. “Tea.” Liam’s maybe a little glad that even long time nurses can be affected by an overnight shift or two of them in a row.

Liam winces. “Doctor’s lounge only has the little coffee cups.” He shrugs because it doesn’t matter to him, caffeine is caffeine. Louis rolls his eyes.

“I’ll get it myself. All you MDs are heathens.” Louis stalks off to the nurses’ lounge and Liam leans against the wall to wait.

He’s definitely not nodding off and certainly does not jump when Louis elbows him.

“Made you one as well,” and the nurse shoves the steaming cup into Liam’s hand before he darts off down the hallway.

Liam wonders if Louis took the time to spit in it but decides to drink it anyhow. Then he gets a call that he’s needed in Room Four all the way on the other side of the ward and the tea goes cold on the windowsill.

* * *

_Sometime in Month Four_  
“Need someone to intubate!” Louis’ clear voice cuts through the chatter of the junior doctors gathered at the nurse’s station. Liam gets to the room first.

“What’s her name?” Liam asks, walking past Louis who had the tools ready in his hands. The girl, probably no more than 7 or 8 years, is gasping with her eyes closed.

“Simone.” Louis answers, confusion evident in his tone.

“Hey Simone,” Liam greets her, taking one of her hands in his while his other gently slid the pillow out from under her head so it was flat on the bed. It was likely she couldn’t hear him, but Liam didn’t mind. “I know you’re really scared right now but my name’s Liam and I’m gonna help you breathe real soon. This might feel funny to you but everything’s gonna be alright.” He holds out his hand for the laryngoscope after putting on gloves and Louis handed it to him from across the bed.

He gets her intubated with no problems and stepped back, eyes scanning her vitals on the monitor to make sure they hold steady.

“You’re good,” Louis says quietly. It doesn’t sound like he’s mocking him. “Most doctors don’t bother to be so kind, even though they’re just kids and have even less an idea what’s going on.”

Liam wants to hug the nurse until he is smiling bright again. “I’ve spent far too much time in hospitals. You remember who’s nice.”

“Oh?” Louis responds with an unasked question in his voice.

“Used to have one kidney,” Liam answered, patting his left side. “It grew back.”

“You’re having me on,” Louis countered and reached out to wrap a hand around Liam’s wrist to tow him out of Simone’s room. It barely wraps around Liam’s wrist.

“No, I swear!” Liam laughs. “I had my first hangover at age 20!” That made Louis laugh loudly.

“Good to know,” Louis nods to himself, like Liam has passed some sort of test. That actually wouldn’t be a great surprise to Liam. “Now get back to your band of merry fools,” the nurse says, letting go of Liam to push him bodily in the direction of the other junior doctors tromping down the hallway. Liam can feel the gentle pressure of Louis’ slim fingers, thumb resting over his ulna.

“Wait, aren’t you gonna call in Dr. Wright to look it over?”

“Is Simone turning blue?” Louis raises an eyebrow and tilts his head slightly towards the girl in the bed.

“Er, no. Her vitals are good now.” Liam responds. Louis lets go of his wrist like he’s just remembered he’s holding onto it. Liam bites his tongue so he doesn’t blurt out loud that Louis should keep touching him.

“So you did a good job, Dr. Payne,” Louis tells him, tone gentle and then he smiles. Liam’s breath catches because it meant _he_ had been the cause of one of those crinkly-eyed smiles that only Nurse Horan has received. It felt good, molten heat in the pit of his stomach. “See you at Plan B after shift!”

And he walks away from Liam like he didn’t just invite him to what Liam thought was only for Louis’ close circle (read: him and Niall). Liam tells himself not to read too much into things and runs down the hallway to check in with his next patient.

There are four hours left on his shift and they go by too quickly.

Liam gets a round before he sits at Louis’ table, figuring it’s polite.

Louis cackles. “You can stop trying to impress me, Payno.” and that’s the first time Liam’s last name has been the source of a nickname instead of near derision from the shorter man. “I promise I’ll write a good review for Barbara at the end of your rotation on my floor.”

“It’s not your floor,” Niall comments as he grabs one of Liam’s pints.

“Is too,” Louis says stubbornly and flicks Niall’s ear. He cringes but doesn’t back off his argument. Liam only sits there and watches them until his first drink is nearly at the bottom.

He nudges Louis, who has made his way through his first and what Liam brought to the table.

“Yeah, it’s my turn, I know,” Louis mutters and stands up. “Be nice,” he orders Niall with a wagging finger. Niall blows him a kiss.

As soon as Louis is occupied trying to catch the bartender’s attention, Niall scoots his chair closer to Liam and throws an arm over his shoulders.

“I’m so glad you finally wore Lou down, he’s been a right miserable bastard. Hopefully tonight is the start of great things between you two.”

“What?” Liam chuckles.

“He’s had a crush on you ever since you apologized for waking him up. I heard more than enough about your puppy eyes and how polite you were,” Niall shakes his head like he’s remembering and Liam can’t believe he’s hearing this.

“How drunk are you, Niall?” Liam asks.

“Practically sober!” comes the answer and Louis’ return to the table. Liam doesn’t look at Louis across the table, just takes his glass and downs it in one go.

“Hey!” Niall cheers happily. Louis’ eyes narrow and glance between Niall and Liam.

“You told him,” Louis remarks flatly and the Irishman only grins wider.

“Uh, it’s sort of mutual?” Liam tells him, almost too quiet to be heard under the music and chatter of other patrons. Louis’ gaze snaps to him and his blue eyes are staring almost right through Liam.

Before Liam knows what’s happening, Louis has left his seat and is swinging a leg over Liam’s lap. Liam’s hands automatically come up to steady him, resting on his thighs. He gives a light squeeze and Louis jumps just a little.

Liam laughs and Louis gives him another breathtaking grin. Then Liam realizes they’re in plain view of their work colleagues and who knows else, tensing up before he can order his body to relax. Louis, to his credit, catches on quickly and climbs off his lap.

“We can talk outside?” he asks, putting a hand on Liam’s shoulder.

“You’ll talk, I’m sure,” Niall calls after them as they head toward the door. Louis flips him off.

The winter chill outside means they’re stamping their feet trying to stay warm, huddled close together and out of earshot of the smokers closer to the door.

“I don’t live too far from here,” Liam says, mind too focused on keeping heat inside his body and not allowing his fingers to turn into ice lollies to take in the meaning of what he’s saying.

“I didn’t think you were that type of guy, Lee-yum,” Louis stands on his tiptoes to breath the words against Liam’s ear. “I’d love to see your bed.”

“I’m sure you’ll look better in it,” Liam flirts back and Louis’ laugh lights up his face as they walk down the street. Their fingers brush and they’re holding hands by the time they reach Liam’s third floor flat.

“You would make me do stairs after twelve hours on my feet,” Louis grumbles but he’s smiling. Liam feels comfortable enough to roll his eyes. “Your dick better be huge.”

“You can be the judge of that soon, I promise.” and then laughs when Louis starts taking the stairs two at a time.

Louis waits until Liam is stopped in front of his door to attack, using a strong hand to pull down Liam’s head to his level. Liam thinks they’re going to finally kiss except Louis plants a too brief kiss against his neck before he bites.

“Ow!” Liam yelps. It’s really no surprise that Louis’ teeth are as sharp as his tongue.

“Hush,” Louis pats his cheek and steps back. “Now let me in, it’s freezing.” Liam raises a hand to poke warily at what has to be a massive love bite even as he twists the key and opens the door. Louis darts in before Liam can warn him that Loki is more bark than bite.

It doesn’t seem to matter because Louis is down on his knees in front of the dog, petting his head and cooing. Loki doesn’t bark, not even once.

Of course his dog immediately likes Louis too.

“Want a drink?” Liam offers as soon as he’s hung up his jacket. Louis is still clad in his and he seems to realize it, shucking it off before going back to pay attention to Loki. Liam tells himself he isn’t jealous of his dog.

“Not that into watersports, mate,” Louis finally stands, picking his jacket up off the ground. “Can’t stay, either.”

“You’ve got a dog too?” Liam asks, because it’s the first thing that pops in his head. They’ve both just learned the other likes them, it’s mutual attraction and it seems the perfect ending that Liam always sees in the films Ruth and Nicola always put on.

Louis laughs and he moves across the room, coming a stop in front of Liam. “No, but I’m still your quasi-supervisor for the next two months. Moral and ethical dilemma, blah blah.” He flaps a hand but his lips are turned down just slightly.

“Okay,” Liam says slowly. “So no sex.”

“No sex tonight.” Louis confirms and pulls an exaggerated sad face. Liam laughs before he can stop himself and Louis lets himself out the door.

* * *

_Months Five and Six_  
So they’re not dating but they sort of are? Liam is only a little confused and getting a straight answer out of Louis is like getting a five year old to stay in his bed after lunch is delivered.

Louis brings him tea, refusing to give Liam his sugar packets because he claims the best way to drink tea is straight or maybe with a little milk. In return, Liam buys him drinks at Plan B and while Louis doesn’t sit in his lap at their local except the once, they feel comfortable enough to play vicious games of footsie under the table until Niall kicks at both of them to stop. At the New Year’s party they don’t get drunk on champagne but exchange kisses in one of the equipment closets. That’s what comes of being on call during the holiday.

A month after the actual date, Liam arranges to have flowers delivered to the nurse’s station for Louis’ birthday and watches as Louis’ face lights up. It’s not his fault Niall didn’t tell him until last week, something about Louis not wanting to make a big deal of it now being a year closer to thirty.

“You’re a sap,” Louis accuses him that night when they’re eating dinner.

“Grew up with two sisters,” Liam defends and Louis smiles.

“Four, with another set of twins in Reception now.” Louis reels off their names when Liam asks, the smile on his face so large his eyes are slits. They spend the rest of the evening talking about sisters, how hard it is to walk in heels and growing up in a hospital from both sides of the patient bed.

The next week, their date is in the hospital. Louis takes Liam by the hand and pulls him down the stairs. They end up in the neonatal ICU, staring through the window at tiny sick babies.

“I know we can’t hold them,” Liam says wistfully. It would be too much hassle and Liam’s half afraid of accidentally breaking them if he breathed wrong, some of them are so small.

“No but there was a pair of preemies born two days ago.” Louis tugs him along and stops in front of another window. This is a bigger room and none of the babies are more than two weeks old.

There’s a man already in the room and Liam thinks he looks familiar but can’t remember where from. The child in his hand is small enough to fit in one of his palms, or maybe it’s that his hands are too large.

“Hey there,” the man whispers and then Liam notices the Volunteer badge clipped to his shirt. “You want to hold him?” and hands off the kid in his arms to Liam before he can say yes.

“Me next,” Louis demands with mock petulance and the volunteer laughs.

“Another bad day?” He reaches down to lift up the baby girl in the bassinet to his right and his eyes are trained on Louis’ face for his answer.

“No, Harry. This is a date and you’re interrupting.” Louis retorts and Liam nudges his foot.

“Right,” Harry agrees in his slow voice. “Well I’m gonna be sitting in the rocking chair with Miss Eliza, and you two have fun in your corner here. Don’t kidnap the babies this time, they’re getting fed in forty-five minutes.” and he leaves them alone, all his attention focused on the newborn infant in his arms once he sits down.

Liam watches him, still trying to figure out where he’s seen Harry before. “Bartender!” Both Louis and Harry look up as he exclaims a little louder than he meant to.

“Yep,” Harry confirms cheerfully with a dimpled grin. “My off hours I’m usually here with the kids.”

Louis only shakes his head and starts to make faces at the boy he’s holding.

“You once kidnapped a baby?” Liam says, knocking his head against Louis’ gently to get his attention.

“No,” Louis denies. “I knew I had to give him back. It was just a rough day.” He doesn’t give any more details but Liam still presses his shoulder against Louis’ in silent commiseration.

It’s one of the best dates Liam has ever been on, even after the babies start crying to be fed.

* * *

_Last Night of Liam’s Paediatric Rotation_  
The last night of everyone’s first rotation kicks off at Plan B. Sure, some of them are on call but as Liam’s not one of them, he feels justified in sitting back in his seat with Louis leaning against him.

“Ready for the new junior doctors?” Liam says, teeth scraping the shell of Louis’ ear.

He shakes his head, frowning. “They’ll be better than you lot were when you started, which is something. But I don’t trust them, look at them. Half of them are definitely going to be hungover tomorrow.” Louis gestures with the hand holding his drink at the dance floor.

“We could give them a show,” Liam suggests and Louis hums thoughtfully. “It’s also your day off tomorrow so at least you won’t have to deal with them?”

“Yes,” Louis nods firmly. “You should take me home now.”

Niall snorts out a laugh on the other side of Louis and Liam is too busy downing his drink to flip him off like he wants. It’s been two months and Louis is calling his one bedroom “home.”

He pulls Louis out of the booth and through the crowd. Louis hangs back once the song changes and makes them dance. It’s less dancing and more grinding, especially when Louis gets his thigh between both of Liam’s, hands clutching his back to hold him as close as possible. Foreplay on the dance floor of Plan B isn’t quite what Liam had in mind for tonight but he rolls with it - literally, riding Louis’ thigh until he has to step away before he comes in his pants.

“Ready to go?” Liam leans down, capturing Louis’ hands in his own before they can drag him closer again.

“Yeah,” Louis says, only a little breathless. His eyes are hooded and cheeks flushed.

The walk to Liam’s flat is quick, even with the fact that they can’t keep their hands off one another and spend a good two minutes kissing against the door before they manage to get inside. Liam locks it behind him and Louis is already toeing off his shoes.

Liam looks around for Loki before remembering he’s with Ruth this weekend. Good, no interruptions to take him outside when he and Louis are in the middle of things.

Louis grins, happy as Liam has ever seen him. His fingers rest on the buttons of his shirt. “Should I take this off or would you like to?” and oh, right.

Liam bridges the gap between them, standing close enough that Louis has to look up to meet his eyes. “Yeah,” he says quietly before he presses his lips to Louis’. “In just a minute.”

It’s more like five, or maybe ten, when Louis is the first to break away to breathe. His hands are wrapped around Liam’s shoulders while one of Liam’s is cupping the back of Louis’ head. It’s a contrast to Liam’s other hand that’s square on Louis’ ass.

“Bed?” Liam asks and Louis nods, stepping backwards where Liam gently steers him.

Louis’ back hits the mattress and Liam follows him down, hovers over him before Louis’ hand on his bicep collapses him right on top of the other man. This lines their dicks against each other and Liam can’t tell who moans louder at the friction.

They trade more kisses as their shirts come off and then Liam gets his mouth over Louis’ nipple and he cries out. Liam makes a mental note that Louis’ nipples are apparently very sensitive and continues kissing his way down tanned skin. He’ll definitely come back to those at a later time, but tonight’s about getting his dick in Louis.

He’s sucking a dark bruise over Louis’ hipbone, trying not to rut into his duvet when Louis’ body twists against his mouth. It’s great because it puts Louis’ abs into relief but also confusing, until Liam realizes that Louis is digging through his nightstand for the obvious.

“Second drawer,” Liam tells him. Louis pets at his head once he’s triumphant.

Louis shucks his trousers and pants, letting them crumple over the side of the bed without a care. Liam does the same and turns back to see Louis working two fingers into himself.

Liam groans at the sight. Louis’ eyes flutter open, dark blue with lust. “Knew you’d want to take your time. Don’t have time for that right now.” He bites his lip as he presses in a third finger. Liam watches lube slip down, dripping onto the sheets. His cock is so hard, it’s difficult to roll the condom on without coming in it right after.

Louis lets Liam hover over him again, legs spread wide, before he flips them over with no warning. He’s lining up Liam’s cock before he can say a word, hissing out a breath as he bears down and takes it into him.

“Jesus Christ,” Liam says fervently as his hands find Louis’ waist. Louis doesn’t make any movement for a long minute and Liam concentrates on not thrusting up into the pressure, heat, _Louis_ before the man’s ready.

Louis moves first, thighs tensing as he lifts himself up and Liam meets him halfway, feet planted on the mattress for better leverage. Louis yells when Liam hits his prostate and Liam tries his best to do it again. He succeeds on the third thrust and then moves a hand away from Louis’ skin to wrap around his dick.

“Oh,” Louis gasps, eyes wide and dark when Liam strokes up and twists at the head. “Yes!”

He’s coming all over Liam’s stomach soon after, bouncing on Liam’s lap less and less as it courses through him. He sits down, clenching around Liam’s dick, and Liam watches as he collects himself and gets to moving again. It’s a little slower than it was before, true, but Liam’s thrusts are making up for it.

“I’m going-” is as far as Liam gets out before he’s coming, white hot and breathless. He stares at the ceiling, panting as Louis lifts off him with a hand balanced on Liam’s pec.

He doesn’t say a word when he stumbles off the bed and Liam watches him walk to the loo, unashamedly staring at his ass.

Liam jumps when there’s suddenly a lukewarm flannel dropped on his stomach, then Louis is cleaning him off with gentle movements. Louis finishes his ministrations as Liam watches, dropping it on the nightstand.

“I think people usually sleep under the sheets, Liam,” Louis teases with a hoarse voice.

Liam nods and twists his body to get under the sheets. He ignores the wet spot from the lube to the best of his ability. It’s even easier to do this when Louis gets in next to him and cuddles close, back to Liam’s chest.

Liam can’t think of what to say, so he presses a lingering kiss to Louis’ shoulder.

“You’re making me breakfast in the morning,” Louis tells him and Liam chuckles. He already knew that and didn’t expect any different. “And then we’re getting back in bed again. It’s our day off.”

“That sounds like a good plan, babe.” Liam confirms with another kiss to his skin.

Louis yanks his arm over his waist and slots their fingers together. “Shh, sleeping.” Liam drifts off before Louis can say anything more.


End file.
